Pokémon Tales
by YukitheRedFox
Summary: A new world begins; Soro is now old enough to become a Pokemon Trainer in her Region of Shirei, but what adventures now await her and a childhood friend, and what does their fate have in store for them...? Accepting OCs! See Ch. 5!
1. Chapter 1: Destined to be Trainers

**A/N:** Hey! Another 'Fic here from Yuki! I've decided to finally upload this to because I've been inactive for so long because of Uni. Though it may be very VERY few people, I feel bad for those who I have made wait for the next Chapter of Cycles' End, and thought I'd upload this as a kind of apology; the original Fan Fic that actually started me off.

As noted on my page, this was something I did that was temporarily Community-Exclusive; I asked for assistance from some of the members there for characters and assistance with place names and such and they were really helpful. Alas, it has also suffered my Uni requirements and ground to a halt on the fourth Chapter... but I'm starting to write again!

Hopefully people will enjoy this; the first ever fan fic I ever worked on!

* * *

**Chapter 1: Destined to be Trainers**

It was another wonderful day in Cherrygrove Town; with the sun shining, Soro stirred from slumber, her Eevee standing on her quilt-covered form, eagerly watching her slowly awaken. "Good morning, Eevee," she said with a gentle yawn. Eevee made an enthusiastic cry at Soro as she jumped off of her trainer and trotted over to the door, the small brown fox-like Pokémon eagerly encouraging her to get up and follow.

She sat there for a moment, thinking about how she had met Eevee a few years ago. The poor little thing was exhausted when she had found it and in a panicked state, she scooped the little Pokémon up in her arms and rushed it to the Professor's Lab. Thankfully he lived near the entrance to the town, where Soro had found the little Eevee collapsed and over the following several days, she arrived at the Lab to help take care of the Pokémon she had rescued.

Seeing the care Soro put into helping the Eevee recover, Professor Carob gave her a Poké ball to claim the small Pokémon she called her friend as her first Pokémon. She was ecstatic at the sentiment; the small Eevee smiling at her, acknowledging her as its Trainer with a joyful cry. The Professor had made her promise not to battle with the Eevee, however; he had given her a leaflet on Pokémon Trainers that detailed everything she would need to know, but stressed that those without a license were prohibited by law from battling with Pokémon.

She took every word he spoke in carefully, processing the information and holding onto it, regardless of the leaflet she had that basically had the same information in it. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she found him... kind of inspiring, when he spoke about Pokémon. Likely from his experience working with Professor Rowan of Sinnoh—she always felt a little spooked whenever Rowan got angry; such a booming voice...

"Soro, your sister is home!" shouted her mother from the bottom of the stairs, which snapped her out of her reminiscing thoughts and forced her still-groggy body to leap out of bed and quickly get dressed—the clothes she would be using for travelling. A red shirt was set on the back of the chair she had seen her Eevee sleeping on the night before, the sleeves reaching her elbows, while a pair of white trousers rested underneath the top. She was adamant about travelling around the Region in trousers over anything else, feeling that skirts were without a doubt inappropriate for travelling such distances.

On the floor, behind the chair were her white trainers, two red stripes plainly decorating the outer side of the footwear, while her red belt had fallen across them. She eagerly started dressing herself, all the while looking forward to not only seeing her sister for the first time in several months, but also to finally take action on that promise she had made with Riaz. She stopped for a moment, looking towards her Eevee while it sat next to her door, a small smile beaming across its little brown face. She smiled back at the cute little Pokémon; "Soon, we'll be off on our own little adventure," she said, partly to herself, but Eevee gave another enthusiastic cry, as she continued to get dressed.

Finally clothed, Soro rushed downstairs, her Eevee following closely behind her. She neared the bottom of the stairs, looking into the lounge area that they led into, seeing her sister sitting on the cream-coloured sofa talking to their mother. With the few seconds of silence that followed, Soro smiled and began to speak; "Welcome home, Koma," she said with a tone thick with joy. Her sister had gone on a journey as a Trainer when she and Riaz had made the promise to become Trainers themselves.

The purple-haired teen turned towards the voice coming from behind her. She landed her gaze on Soro who was standing at the bottom of the stairs, dressed in the clothes she planned on travelling the Region in, which reminded her of the time she had started her own journey. Though her little sister was heartbroken to see her only sibling leave her behind that day, she remained strong and before she left, had spoken to her about the promise she had made with the boy who lived next door. It was nice to see her aiming for something.

"It's nice to see you again, Soro. I told you I'd be back for when you started your journey, didn't I?" Koma said with a happy smile on her face, her golden eyes still fixed on her sister, as she walked around to the lounge and sat next to her sister for the first time in what felt like an eternity. She had always looked up to her sister and that small fact had not changed. Koma still seemed the same as she was before she left on her little journey.

The two sisters conversed for what seemed like minutes; through breakfast and a short while after, she spent talking with Koma about the journey she had been on—she had planned to travel to the Hoenn Region last year, but came home early to see Soro off on her own journey. Koma didn't seem too enthusiastic about the Hoenn Region— in particular, she didn't seem to care too much for the climate; a tropical climate, compared to the mild lands of the Shirei Region.

But time flew by extremely quickly—already it was 8:20am. The Professor usually opened the Laboratory at 8:30, giving Soro plenty of time to grab her shoes and head on over; her Eevee naturally chasing after her in the direction of the Lab. She left her bag and her Eevee's Poké ball at home however, promising to return before finally leaving on her own journey.

* * *

It was still quite early—Professor Carob never opened his Lab before 8:30 anyway, so Riaz was not worried about timing, seeing as it was still only 7am. He slumped himself back onto his bed, having been abruptly awoken by a flock of cawing Spearow flapping by his window just a moment before. _'They always do it, too! I seriously think they've been trained to wake me up,'_ he inwardly thought, hoping he didn't end up having a headache before the day had even begun.

He rested on his bed for a moment longer, until he decided he could not just lie there any longer. Thoughts fell once again to the kind of Starter Pokémon he wanted to pick up from the Professor—it was customary for the local Professor to give a starting-out Trainer a Pokémon for the road and he had always had his sights set on Charmander, suggesting the Professor actually had one, of course. It was a bonus having a parent that was a good friend of Professor Carob's; he still remembered the day he found Meditite, just a few weeks before he and Soro had made that promise to travel the Region as Trainers.

Though not yet 'officially' registered as his Pokémon, Meditite had been caught by him and the Professor, who supplied the Poké ball for his friends' capture, said it was a simple process to rectify it, once his License had been verified by the Pokémon Association. It was a compassionate gift to him, the Professor had said, not wishing for some Pokémon Bandit to come in and catch the Meditite for his own. All the Professor asked of him was to not use Psych Lee in battle, until he was in possession of his Trainers' License—it was illegal to use a Pokémon in battle without a license and often never ended well for the offender.

Instead of battles, he chose to meditate with his Pokémon, which he found to be rather relaxing and Psych Lee actually started to respect him even more as time went on. They had been close from the moment Riaz had found him lost in the local cherry blossom field and their bond only grew from there.

He looked over to the clothing he had set out the night before and left hanging from his wardrobe doors—there was a black short-sleeved shirt hanging in front of his 'dirty' dark blue jeans; they were his favourite pair, having four pockets on the front and a couple more on the back, giving him plenty of space for on-hand items, like Poké balls to capture Pokémon and the odd Potion to heal his Pokémon with.

His mother had been out one weekend and picked him up a new belt to go with the jeans. She called it 'a great deal', since it also came with three Poké ball holsters; two compartments each, that attached to the belt for the easiest of ball storage. _'She'd buy me almost anything if it were a good deal,_' he thought to himself as he stretched, soon jumping up from his seated position on his bed and quickly getting dressed for the journey that he had before him.

He picked up the ball holsters he had left on his desk, looking at how they actually attached to the belt—and almost instantly slammed his face into his free hand. _'Figures... you have to thread the belt _through_ them...'_ It was the first time he had actually looked them over, but felt a little stupid for not checking them first. He spent a few minutes threading them through, having to almost completely remove his belt to do so. It was a pain, but he at least didn't have any trouble getting them into place. He finally sighed, leaving his room after picking up his running shoes and heading downstairs for some breakfast.

As he entered the lounge, he noticed Psych Lee sat in front of the TV, meditating—_'Just like always.'_ He wandered over to a cupboard, grabbing the cereal from the bottom shelf and pouring it into a bowl his mother had left out for him; a little note attached saying, _"Don't forget to come back home, before you leave on your journey!"_ He chuckled to himself for a moment as he removed the note from the bowl and poured some milk over his breakfast.

All was going well, until a few minutes later, he realised what time it was. Looking at the clock that appeared on the TV after the programme had finished, it read '8:25am'. "Oh... you've got to be kidding! How did it get _that_ late!?"

Psych Lee suddenly turned to see what was happening, to see Riaz jumping over the chair and towards the door, making the small Pokémon scramble for the door itself, just managing to slip through before it closed behind him. Riaz rushed by Soro's house and looked towards the Lab in the distance, just managing to see a figure start walking up the stairs towards the Laboratory doors. He knew that only Soro and he were the only Trainers in town that needed to pick up their Licenses and their Starter Pokémon, but he didn't want to show up later than he had told the Professor he would.

With that, he pushed himself from the wall of Soro's house and began rushing towards the Lab at full speed—Psych Lee desperately trying to keep up with his speeding Trainer.

* * *

**A/N:** Well! That's the first Chapter! As I noted on my profile, the first couple Chapters start off pretty slow, since there are some little details I wanted to work on about the Pokemon world, but soon enough, our Protagonists will be heading off on their own little adventure!

Until next time!  
YukitheRedFox, headin' out!


	2. Chapter 2: Licensed to Train

**A/N:** Hah, I just realised what the title of this one reminds me of... (best viewed at 1/4 or 1/2 width)

Err... anyway! Here's Chapter 2! Those who read Chapter 1 will have probably noticed we only really got to meet the protagonists of our tale. This time, we'll get to see the Professor! Wondering how Starter Pokémon are distributed in Shirei? Well, you're about to find out! Hope you all enjoy the next Chapter in the tale.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Licensed to Train**

Soro climbed the stairs towards the Laboratory doors, her Eevee jumping each step right behind her. She felt a little nervous, but at the same time, excited that she would finally be able to travel with Pokémon; despite it not greatly bothering her before. She had thought about it only when Riaz had proposed they both become Trainers and as she got older, the thought excited her even more.

The Lab doors automatically slid open, allowing her to enter the building into a small lobby-like area with blue arm chairs circling a small coffee table. There were a couple mugs carelessly left there, but she paid little attention to every detail. Instead, she turned to the right, looking at all the machines in the Professor's workspace. There was a giant machine set on the far wall, which seemed to be some kind of receiver—she recalled the Professor telling her that it was the machine that received Pokémon when a Trainer sent them from the docking stations left in Pokémon Centres around the world and next to it was the machine that he used to send Pokémon to the Trainer requesting them.

He worked the machines manually during the day so that the Pokémon could experience the outside world for a few hours, but recalled the Pokémon to their Poké balls when night came so that the machine could run automatically, depositing Pokémon into 'boxes'. The system wasn't used all that much, however—Professor Carob only maintained the system for Trainers of Cherrygrove Town, for which there were not many registered to the system; at least who actually used it. Lyla's 'box system' was used by pretty much everyone else, though her sister, Koma, decided to use the Professor's system. Soro remembered from her asking the Professor to let some of her Pokémon take some time with the family.

Soro was determined to use the Professor's system, however; she knew then that any Pokémon she went through it would definitely be cared for and her mother could even take care of some, if the need arose. _'The benefits of having a local transfer system,'_ she thought to herself, as the automatic doors slid open behind her. It was only then that she realised Professor Carob was nowhere to be seen, as she turned to face who had just entered.

A heavily panting Riaz stood in front of the doors, forcing them to remain open as he leaned forward, trying to catch his breath now that he'd arrived at his destination. "In a hurry?" Soro asked, as he looked up at her almost chuckling face. Psych Lee stumbled by a moment later, seeming far better off than Riaz in terms of fatigue—the benefits of being able to levitate.

"Ahh, good to see you came on time!" said a voice from behind the wall that separated the small 'break room' from the rest of the Lab. The person walked out as Soro turned, revealing a tall man; about six feet in height with short brown hair and a lab coat over his basic dark blue shirt and black trousers. "Good morning, Professor Carob," said Soro, lightly bowing, while Riaz casually greeted the professor, saying, "Hi there, Prof!"

"Indeed, good morning Riaz, Soro, said the Professor as he nodded, a hint of excitement in his movements, as he motioned for them to follow him. He took them to his small office, which had three filing cabinets on the right side of the small room below an open window, books neatly piled on the desk and two unopened envelopes placed on the near side, making Soro feel a hint of nervousness flush over her. She had a feeling that they would be the Pokémon Licenses they had been issued, since the Pokémon Association are not permitted to deliver them directly to the recipients' home address and are instead to deliver them to the local Professors' Laboratory or Police Station.

As if to acknowledge her thoughts, Professor Carob scooped up the envelopes from the desk, looking at the front of them as he walked back to Riaz and Soro, who had remained in the middle of the room. "Well, it looks like this one is for Riaz," he started, pulling the envelope to the right out of his left hand and placing it before Riaz, who hesitantly, but eagerly took it. "Thank you, Professor," he said, a hint of nervousness flushing over himself now, as the Professor now turned to Soro.

"While this one is for you, Soro." He held out the envelope before her, which she slowly moved her hand towards to take it from his left hand. "Thank you very much, Professor Carob," she said, as the Professor smiled at the pair, who after a few seconds staring at the envelopes, eagerly opened them.

Riaz was the first to tear open the envelope, revealing a letter from the Pokémon Association congratulating him on becoming a full-fledged Trainer, while attached to the bottom was a blue card with his picture on it, the logo for the Pokémon Association, his name and gender underneath the picture of him, his date of birth, birthplace and a ten-digit number next to the words, 'Trainer ID' right underneath the words 'Trainer's License', though the common term for them was 'Trainer Cards'. He looked at the number—_'71200-20195.'_ He had been telling himself all the way to the Professors' Lab; that he was now a Trainer, but the realisation only just really started to kick in for him upon seeing his _official _Trainer ID.

Soro had taken her time opening the letter and had finished opening it by the time Riaz had started to pull out the piece of paper within. She held the opening she had made open, taking out the piece of paper that rested within. The letter itself was a 'Congratulations on becoming a Trainer' letter and listed some recommendations on what she should do, now that she obtained her License. At the bottom of the letter was a red card with a picture of her on it. Across the top of the card, it read 'Trainer's License' with other important information on the Trainer listed below, alongside the picture. Her name and gender were placed underneath the picture, while the other information rested to the right.

The one bit of information standing out to her was the Trainer ID, which read _'71200-65219_._'_ She recalled reading in the letter that the last five digits were used to reference the Trainer at official events, such as Gym battles or Tournaments—especially the Elite Four. A flood of glee washed over her as she carefully peeled the card from the letter and held it closer to her face. _'It really is official, now,'_ she thought, as she almost lost herself in looking at the card.

The Professor cleared his throat, snapping them both back to reality, as he proceeded to talk; "Well, now that you have your Trainer's Licenses... how about we get you your Starter Pokémon?" This was the moment Riaz had been waiting for—he could finally pick up a Starter Pokémon for his own! They were extremely rare to come by, in the wild and Riaz gleefully followed the Professor, as he led them out of the office and into the room next door that held four machines within, each holding three Poké balls with a design of a leaf, a water drop and a flame across the red top, all in different patterns. They obviously represented the Pokémon within them.

"Now, there are three Pokémon on each machine—Kanto Starters are on the far left, while Sinnoh Starters are on the far right," instructed the Professor, as Riaz almost jumped towards the machine with the Kanto Starter Pokémon on it. He got shot a rather objective look by Professor Carob, who leaned in with a hand on his shoulder; "Ladies first, eh Riaz?" he whispered, making Riaz settle his body to stand still. He felt extremely nervous for which Pokémon Soro would choose, having told him before that she was not entirely sure which she would pick, but had told him she had some interest in the one Pokémon he was wanting to acquire.

"Go on then, Soro. You get the first pick," said the Professor, as Soro gave him a nervous nod. She stepped towards the four machines that lined the back wall, first starting with the Kanto Pokémon, which shot a wave of terror through Riaz's spine. She seemed to quickly move along however, looking at the Poké balls that contained the Johto Starters. She lingered for a moment longer—obviously still unsure as to which she should choose, but moved to the next machine. After a moment longer, she quickly picked up the third Poké ball on the third machine.

A huge inner sigh of relief crept from Riaz, as he awaited the Professor's nudge to collect his Starter Pokémon. Surely enough, as soon as Soro returned to them, holding the Poké ball of her Starter in her hand, Professor Carob nodded and told Riaz to pick out his own Starter Pokémon. With glee, he strode directly to the left-most machine, instantly picking up the second Poké ball from the first machine. _'Said I'd always start with Charmander,'_ he thought to himself with a triumphant smile on his face.

"So... who did you decide to choose, Soro?" asked Riaz out of curiosity, as she turned to ball to show the small image emblazoned on the red half of it. _The Water symbol... third machine..._ he snapped out of his thoughts. "Mudkip, huh? Nice choice," he said, not caring about the disadvantage Charmander had towards her choice in Pokémon—Psych Lee was strong against her Eevee.

He snapped out of his thoughts, raising the Poké ball of his own Starter Pokémon to reveal the emblazoned flame across the red half of the ball. "Charmander, huh? I'd say it kind of suits you," she said with a smile; "Looks like our weaknesses have averaged out for now, huh?" She took a joking tone with what she said, turning towards the Professor. She bowed once again, thanking him for the few years he had helped her to register as a Pokémon Trainer, while Riaz followed.

"Now now, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't help a couple aspiring Trainers in their moment of need, would I?" He seemed to blush a little from all the gratitude he was getting, but changed the subject when he looked at the Pokémon Storage machine in the middle of the main Laboratory. "Oh yes, don't forget to register your accounts for the Pokémon Storage before you go and place either your Pokémon's Poké balls or the Pokémon themselves on the scanning board just outside my office." He paused for a moment, and then continued on, further explaining; "The process will be automatic from now on, but your first and Starter Pokémon will need to be registered, now that you have your Licenses."

The two nodded, as Soro picked up Eevee and carried her to the scanning machine outside the office, placing both Eevee and her Mudkip's Poké ball on it as the Professor pressed a button. It was over so fast, Soro barely noticed anything happen, but a message prompt appeared on the small monitor in front of her, listing the two Pokémon, her name and the ten-digit Trainer ID she had been issued. Eevee gleefully jumped into her arms, as she reached to pick up the Poké ball of her Mudkip, leaving Riaz to register his new Charmander and long-time friend, Psych Lee.

"Hey, Soro!" said the voice of one of the Professors' assistants, "I'll give you a hand registering your account for the Storage machine," he eagerly said. She nodded, following him to the large machine that was never turned off. _'I'd hate to know the bill to run something like this,'_ she thought to herself, as they both arrived at a monitor to the machine. It displayed a registration form and next to the keypad was a small scanner.

"Just slip your Trainer Card under the scanner and your Trainer details will copy over," said the assistant. She needed a free hand, still holding her Eevee in her arms after all. "Jump up?" she said to her Eevee, who almost instantly called out to her and jumped up onto her shoulder, walking around the back of her head to spy on the monitor from the other side.

As she slipped the card into the scanner, she minimised the Poké ball containing her Mudkip by pressing the small button located on the front of the device, so that she could place it into her pocket—she had forgotten the trainer's belt her sister had sent her for her tenth birthday a few weeks ago, but it was okay—she would be returning home once she was done here, so she could pick it up then. A light beeping noise acknowledged that the system had registered her Trainer details and all she was required to do now was create a password and she was done.

Riaz soon followed, and once Soro had finished registering, he was stood at the small monitor, running through the same procedure she had just a moment ago. As it had for her, Riaz had only taken a minute to register—the longest part of the process was thinking of a password to use, which had been rather difficult for her, at least. But they were fully registered, now; they could access the system from anywhere across the Region, so long as they had access to a computer with the Pokémon Transfer hardware attached.

* * *

It was about time for them to leave the Lab; the pair were stood at the top of the stairs to the Lab, watching the sun rise further into the sky—it was about 9:30am, now. Professor Carob wandered over to them, a serious look on his face as he talked; "Now I say this to all new Trainers—Pokémon are our friends and not our tools. Treat your Pokémon as you would wish to be treated by others and go forth on your journey one step at a time, making each an experience." His assistant approached, holding a pair of boxes in his arms as Professor Carob took the top one and passed it to Riaz and the second, to Soro.

Both opened the boxes, peeking to see what was within; a set of six unused Poké balls for them to use to capture wild Pokémon rested in little plastic 'cups' with and a Pokédex with a small instruction manual attached to it; "My final gift to you young Trainers; the device with the Poké balls is a Pokédex. It's an Encyclopaedia of all known Pokémon types, but also allows you to check other data; particularly on your own Pokémon, when you wish. Be sure to use them wisely," concluded the Professor with a light-hearted smile on his face.

"We will, Professor. Thanks again and take care," said Soro as she waved and started down the stairs at the entrance of the Laboratory, her Eevee following closely to her. "Thanks again, Professor. See you when we get back," said Riaz, who immediately started following after Soro, Psych Lee chasing after him. Professor Carob watched them as they returned home; this was but the first step in their new journey... a journey that would no doubt take them to many new places.

"Let's hope they have a safe journey," he muttered aloud to himself, before returning to the automatic doors of the Lab.

* * *

Soro had gone home to show off her new Mudkip to her mother and sister, letting him and Eevee play for a moment, while she collected her bag from upstairs and equipped her new belt that she had forgotten to wear before she left for the Lab. It was a nice fit and even had a few extra rectangular slots, which she immediately tried to fit the Pokédex the Professor had given her into—it was perfect; a strap extended underneath the device to stop it from falling straight through and it was easy enough to pull out when needed. The second slot had baffled her, though; she wasn't sure what that was for and pondered on it for a moment, as she attached Eevee's and Mudkip's Poké balls to her belt.

Nevertheless, she pressed on, packing away the Poké balls the Professor had given her into a small compartment of her bag, which held a change of clothes for when she needed them and a few other Trainer essentials that her sister had given to her as sort of a parting gift—a few Potions, among other items that she then stacked in. Overall, the bag still seemed pretty light as she picked it up and threw it over her shoulder; she grabbed her Eevee's Poké ball as she walked by the desk, heading to the stairs to say her farewells for at least the next day or two—her mother kept reminding her about the phones situated in Pokémon Centres worldwide, which made her chuckle a little, before heading down the stairs.

* * *

Riaz tossed the box the Professor had given to him as he started packing the various bits and pieces into his bag; the Pokédex slipped into an open pocket, where he could easily reach for it when needed and the minimized Poké balls fell into the pocket on the opposite side. He stopped for a moment, then decided to take a couple out and put them in his pocket—_'Never know when you might need a Poké ball handy,'_ he gleefully thought. As soon as he had gotten home, he let his new Charmander out of its Poké ball, for him and Psych Lee to get used to one another and was glad to see they were getting along, as he picked up their Poké balls and attached them to his belt.

He unclipped them a few times to see how easy it was to get at them when he needed and was satisfied that one of them only got stuck with first-time use; it released perfectly fine each time he tried, afterwards. He picked up the bag that had his change of clothes and a few items he had been saving up for within it and threw the strap over his shoulder, adjusting them accordingly so that the bag didn't slip off all the time. "Well guys, let's head downstairs and say 'bye' to mum," he said to his Pokémon, as they jumped up and called out happily. He loved the sound of Charmander's cry—_'So cute...'_

'_...what am I thinking!'_ He nervously scratched his head as he headed for the stairs; his Charmander and Psych Lee following closely behind him.

* * *

It had been almost an hour since Riaz and Soro had visited Professor Carob; both new Trainers had hurried home to complete the final preparations before they left home—however long they would be gone was unknown, but they knew they wouldn't ever be too far away. _'Just a phone call away,'_ their parents had said, before giving them each one of the new PokéGPS devices; a digital map with an integrated system that gave directions when lost. It was a handy little device they could use to pick where they would go next, but overall it was overshadowed by the PokéGear devices that had started distribution in Johto. It was still a nice gift for their journey, though; they were extremely grateful.

Soro slipped it into the spare slot she had found on her belt, happy that she now knew what it was intended for as Riaz looked back at the town they were about to leave—their home. "It'll probably be a long time before we return, huh?" he said, more as a statement than a question. Soro came to stand next to him, looking back at their houses, almost lost to the collection around them. They remained there in silence for a moment longer, before turning back to the road leading out of Cherrygrove Town.

"Well, let's make this the best adventure we'll ever have," said Soro, as Eevee called out from her perch on Soro's shoulder. "Shall we travel together for a bit?" she asked Riaz, who nodded; "Why not? Better to experience an adventure with friends, right?" he said with a smile, which Soro acknowledged with her own and nodded.

"To Shorevale City we go, then!" she proclaimed, as the pair pressed forward, heading east to the first leg in their journey.

* * *

'_Pokémon are not tools to be used indiscriminately—they have feelings as well as you and I. Look after them when they are ill, play with them and above all else, treat them as friends.'  
- Posted on Professor Carob's "Becoming a Pokémon Trainer" leaflet_

_

* * *

_**A/N:** Well, there you have it! Hopefully you all enjoyed this Chapter, because so far, this is the one Chapter of this story I actually really had fun with, and I'm pretty sure it was because I was giving the process of becoming a Trainer a bit of life... at least in my opinion. The next one is another one I had fun with, but that's for another update... so be sure to stay tuned~!

By the way, what do you think about the little quote at the end? With the original design of the story, it was my intention to think up some quotes for the end of each Chapter from the protagonists becoming Trainers onwards. I just thought it would be a nice little touch, heh.

Until next time!  
YukitheRedFox, headin' out~!


	3. Chapter 3: Searching for Pokémon

**A/N:** Well, here's Chapter 3 of Pokemon Tales! The last Chapter I have completed at current. (Chapter 4 is about a third done, as of writing this) Nothin much more to say than I hope you guys enjoy it and if you feel so inclined, leave a comment on the story in the Reviews. I'd love to hear peoples' thoughts.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Searching For Pokémon**

The pair had been walking along Route 370 for almost an hour, but neither had managed to come across many wild Pokémon. It was a little perplexing, since there were usually many Pokémon to be seen, as Soro recalled hearing from her sister a few days after she left—Oddish and Paras were particularly common around the area, but not a single one was in sight; aside from the single Oddish Riaz had chased into the undergrowth just a few minutes before.

"Guess we probably won't come across any Pokémon before Shorevale, if this keeps up," said Riaz, scratching the back of his head. He was hoping to come across a Grass-type before they ended up entering the City, seeing as he knew the first Gym had a weakness to them. He'd gotten a little too excited when he happened across the Oddish that it fled when he ran towards it—without even releasing one of his Pokémon to fight it with. "Seems so," she simply responded, trying to keep herself from getting too excited herself. When they came across another Pokémon, she didn't want to end up doing the same thing.

Soro seemed to be the only one of the two who kept a Pokémon out of its Poké ball; her Eevee remaining on her shoulder pretty much all the time. Riaz had returned Charmander—who he had named 'Havoc' and Psych Lee to their Poké balls after introducing the pair to her own two Pokémon. Naturally, her Eevee and Psych Lee were rather familiar with each other; however Charmander and Mudkip didn't seem to get along too well. They had both surmised it to be a –type thing; Havoc seemed a little defensive when they were introduced.

Suddenly, Soro's Eevee called out to her, facing the short grass to the left of the path they were walking along. She had seen something move. "Riaz! This way," said Soro, seeing what her Eevee had. It was likely a wild Pokémon wandering through the knee-high grass, Soro heading in the direction of the movement, jumping lightly from the slightly elevated dirt road to the grass below. "See something?" he asked a little too late, as he saw Soro darting across the ground below. He jumped down after them, following the lightly trodden down blades of grass, until they came to a clearing.

It took him a while to register what was going on, but he soon saw what they had seen; Soro and her Eevee were locked in stance—an Oddish stood before them. "Okay Eevee... let's do our best!" shouted Soro as her Eevee gave a determined cry, staring at the very defensive Pokémon. "All right then, Shadow Ball!" called Soro, as her Eevee started charging a small dark ball of energy in front of herself. It launched forward as the Oddish nimbly jumped into the air, using its leaves as temporary propellers to lightly hover over the ball of energy.

As the Pokémon landed, it launched several leaves at Eevee, striking their mark before Soro could give an order, but she pressed on, giving her Eevee an order as soon as possible. "Quick Attack!" called Soro, as her Eevee darted forward, slipping by the rain of leaves that the Oddish was still firing. She managed to flank it and charged, landing a critical blow to the blue Pokémon's exposed side. The armless Pokémon staggered a little, but didn't falter, as it fired a golden dust towards Eevee. She yelped in surprise as the dust covered where she stood before disappearing, leaving the poor Eevee paralysed and defenceless.

The Oddish didn't proceed to attack, though—instead it turned and fled, as Soro called to Riaz; "Quick! See if you can catch up with it!" He nodded, taking the ball for Havoc off of his belt and chasing after the Oddish. It didn't get too far, as he threw the Poké ball in front of the fleeing Pokémon, cutting off its escape as the Charmander appeared in a brilliant white flash. They had reached another clearing and the Oddish was cornered.

"Okay... let's do this properly. Havoc, use Ember!" The Pokémon acknowledged the order its Trainer had given it, launching several embers towards the Oddish, who seemed stunned by the appearance of the Fire-type Pokémon that it failed to evade the attack, taking it at full force for a direct hit. The Oddish stumbled a little, almost losing its footing, as it launched several small seeds at the Charmander.

"Leech Seed... Havoc, jump back and fire another Ember!" ordered Riaz, as the Charmander jumped just barely out of the way, blasting more embers at the startled Oddish. It flung its leaves before its face, throwing up a shimmering blue-green shield—now was the perfect chance. He pulled out one of the Poké balls he had stored in his pocket before leaving home and pressed the small button, returning it to its original size. He waited for the shield to fall and as it did, he threw the ball at the small Pokémon with such great precision that the Oddish was again overwhelmed, dragged into the ball by the beam of red light.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Eevee," said Soro as she applied the Paralyse Heal spray her sister had given her before she left. The one bottle had enough in it for several uses, which made it a rather handy item to carry around—especially when Pokémon with Stun Spore were running around right outside. She felt a little bad for being surprised by the attacks that the Oddish had used, which caused her Eevee to endure the effects of the attacks directly. She took out the Potion next, applying some to the small wounds her Eevee had from the Razor Leaf the Oddish had fired.

She still seemed happy, though; remaining still as Soro applied the healing substances. She stroked the back of her Eevee's head, as it turned to her hand and licked her, making a smile break across her face. "Next time, we'll get them for sure, right?" An extremely happy cry came from the Eevee as she jumped into Soro's arms, allowing her to hug her gently. "While we wait for Riaz to come back, how about a quick snack?" she said, as she released her Mudkip from its Poké ball.

She reached for the bag she had put down behind her, but was greeted by a gentle shock to her hand. Startled, she pulled her hand back; rubbing it gently from the sudden shock she had just been given. Looking at the bag, she saw a small creamy-yellow-coloured ball of fluff with a blue head, picking away at the food that was in a small container. She pulled out the Pokédex and flipped it open; unable to recall its name, though she had seen the Pokémon several times in books and on the TV; mainly in Contests. _'It's called...'_

_BEEP "Mareep—The Wool Pokémon – Its fluffy coat swells to double its original size when static electricity builds up, making it shocking to touch. In the summer, it sheds its fleece, but it grows back within a week."_

'_Of course, Mareep!' _Soro breathed lightly, watching the Pokémon as it continued to eat. Eevee and Mudkip seemed to both be stunned and enraged at the gluttonous ball of fluff before them, but Soro remained calm; she couldn't use Mudkip against an Electric-type Pokémon, so Eevee was her only hope... but she felt uncomfortable using it in battle so soon after healing it from its paralysis and light wounds. She called her Eevee to her nonetheless; maybe she could take it by surprise and defeat it before it could do any damage. "Are you ready, Eevee?" the small Pokémon silently nodded, returning its gaze to the Pokémon before her. "Then here we go... Shadow Ball!"

The ball of energy took the fluffy Pokémon by surprise, striking it directly on the head and sending it tumbling backwards. As it stood back up and shook itself, Soro gave another command to Eevee; "Sand Attack!" she called, as the Eevee wafted her tail across the ground, sending dust into the opposing Pokémon's face. It staggered back a little, shaking its head as if to attempt clearing its eyes of the tiny bits of dirt that had caught it off-guard.

Blindly, the Pokémon fired a ThunderShock attack, which landed a metre or so from Eevee. "Now's our chance, Eevee... fire another Shadow Ball!" called Soro, as Eevee fired once again; it struck the woolly Pokémon hard, sending it tumbling to the ground once again, staggering to find its footing to continue the battle. She seized the chance—she reached for the Poké ball that had tumbled out of the pocket she had put them in, pressed the small button on the front to return it to its original size and immediately launched it towards the Mareep's blue head, striking it directly.

The ball popped open as it bounced back from the Mareep slightly, engulfing the Pokémon in a red light before the Pokémon was dragged into the ball, it snapping shut before falling lightly to the ground and rolling slightly. The ball wobbled a few times more than Soro would have liked, signalling the extended resistance of the Pokémon within, but with a gentle _ping_ and the slight red glow of the button on the front of the ball, it shook no more. She had only been a Trainer for a few hours and already, she had caught her first Pokémon.

* * *

It took Riaz a few moments to realise he had caught the Oddish in the Poké ball he had thrown; a gentle _pinging_ noise had rung a second before the ball stopped shaking, signalling the end of its struggle to escape capture. He couldn't believe his luck; only a few hours and he had captured his first Pokémon. With that, he knew he would be fine going up against the first Gym; with Havoc, Psych Lee and his new Oddish by his side, he knew things would go well.

He remembered something he had read in the instruction manual that the Pokédex came with while he and Soro wandered along the quiet dirt road as he picked up the Poké ball containing the Oddish; a small add-on that had a disk-like tray where he could scan the Pokémon's details for its gender and such. He immediately pulled the Pokédex out of the pocket he had left it in and placed the newly caught Oddish's Poké ball on the tray that popped out when he had opened it and pressed the small green button that said 'Ball Scan'.

A couple of seconds later, the information showed up on the screen, displaying the Trainer ID of who had caught it, the attacks it knew and of course, name, gender and to his surprise, the exact moment it had been caught. _'Talk about handy,'_ he thought to himself, as he patted Havoc on the head. "Nice work, Havoc. I couldn't have done it without you," he said with a smile. It gave a call of glee, before Riaz looked back the way he had come; he hadn't noticed, but as he had chased after the Oddish, the grass had gotten thicker, with the only evidence of where he had come from being the trampled blades. "Well, we better get back to Soro, huh?" he said to Havoc, before he raised the Poké ball to return his Starter Pokémon.

Thankfully, he wasn't as lost as he thought he was—it didn't take long until he came across Soro resting with her Eevee and Mudkip where they had first seen the Oddish. There was a small scorch mark on the ground just a few feet from them and before he could ask, Soro began to speak; "So, did you managed to catch it?" she said, as she observed a smirk fall across his face. He reached for his belt and produced a ball, which he tossed up to reveal the captured Oddish. "That I did," he said, feeling a little smug from the first capture.

"Then it looks like we're even, again," she jokingly smiled, as she threw the Poké ball she held in her hand, releasing a fluffy little Mareep just a metre from where the Oddish had been released. They both curiously looked at each other, as Soro said, "I'd like you to meet Amphy—my new Mareep." Riaz seemed a little baffled, but Soro continued; "It appeared while I was treating Eevee's wounds and started eating the food, so I seized the opportunity and captured it."

"Talk about lucky; I think wild Mareep are pretty rare around Shirei," said Riaz, admiring how they had managed to capture their first _wild_ Pokémon as Trainers at almost the same time. "Well, how about we head back to the road? We'll be able to navigate towards Shorevale much easier than in the tall grass," he concluded, Soro acknowledging his suggestion. She didn't want to know how much thicker the tall grass got the further they progressed.

"Are you coming too, Oddish? Or how about... Bella?" said Riaz, as the Oddish seemed to jump up in slight glee. It seemed to either like the idea of travelling, or the name Riaz had given it—maybe even both, but Soro felt the need to ask Amphy the same question; "How about you, Amphy. Would you like to come with us, too?" she asked with a smile. The Mareep seemed very enthusiastic about the idea, as she nodded; "Okay then... let's get moving!" she said, as she pulled out its and Mudkip's Poké balls, returning them both.

* * *

The rest of the time they had spent travelling was rather uneventful; there hadn't been any fellow passing Trainers heading towards Cherrygrove, likely due to the fact that the only thing there was the Professors' Laboratory and it was mostly only fellow Cherrygrove townsfolk that visited there and the other wild Pokémon they had seen fled before they were able to capture them. Riaz had flipped out his PokéGPS unit and had been fiddling with the screen for the past few minutes, while Soro walked along, just slightly trailing behind him, stroking her Eevee, who was still perched on her shoulder.

'_Sunset,'_ Soro thought, as she looked at the setting sun perched atop the hill they had passed not long since. They had stopped about an hour after their little Pokémon Hunt to get something to eat, but hadn't thought of how long it would take to actually arrive in Shorevale—at the rate things were going, it wouldn't be until the next day they would arrive.

"There it is!" shouted Riaz, happy that he had finally found whatever it was he was looking for on the PokéGPS. "Just another mile down the road, there's a Pokémon Centre where we can rest for the night. Looks like they set them up along Routes that have extensive travel on foot." She gave a sigh of relief, as she tiredly plodded onward, following Riaz's lead. _'Thank goodness...'_

It only took them another thirty minutes of travelling time to finally reach the Pokémon Centre; it had been built on the roadside, surrounded by a stand of trees that seemed to stretch for about half a mile along the road and just about as far away from it. They could probably have travelled for a little longer, but then they would have no means of resting, having no camping equipment with them to do so. It wasn't the smartest idea sleeping somewhere that didn't have a roof. They took one last look at the road leading to Shorevale City—it slopped a little and curved to the right, but there was another hill they could just see in the distance, which they thought would likely be where they would end up next.

They entered the Pokémon Centre and walked over to the counter, where a rather unfamiliar green-haired assistant stood, waiting to greet them. "Welcome to the Pokémon Centre! How may I help you?" he asked in a rather cheerful tone, as the pair removed their Poké balls from their belts, placing them in the trays that were shaped similarly to those of the plastic 'cups' that held the Poké balls the Professor had given them. Soro petted her Eevee lightly, before returning her to the ball and placing it with her other two. "Could you treat our Pokémon, please?" asked Riaz as the man behind the counter nodded. "Certainly. Would you require accommodation for the night also?" he followed up, Soro answering this time; "Please, if it isn't much trouble."

He lightly chuckled at her response. "No trouble at all. Please take a seat and we'll be finished with your Pokémon in a moment," he said as he scooped up the trays and took them into one of the back rooms; thankfully their Pokémon hadn't taken too much damage from the battles they had endured. The two went and sat on one of the red sofas set in the middle of the waiting room.

They were rather silent for the thirty minutes they ended up waiting, only momentarily passing comment on their first captures. Riaz seemed pretty happy capturing an Oddish—or rather Bella, though Soro felt it was for more than one reason. She was extremely glad to happen across Amphy; her new Mareep, though. Her thoughts were cut short however when the man returned, signalling for them to return to the front desk. "All checked and ready to go. No serious injuries that a little rest will cure, now that they've been treated here," he said in a rather chipper manner; "Rooms twenty-three and twenty-four are available for use—on the second floor. Sleep well."

They both nodded and thanked the assistant, as they headed for the stairs. As soon as he got there, Riaz bolted straight up, heading directly for the room—while Soro found herself distracted by a poster that had been pinned to the Pokémon News bulletin board. It was more a warning note than a Wanted poster, but it was labelled as such, asking for anyone to come forward with information on two suspicious characters; one with slick, brown hair and the other with shoulder-length blonde hair. The descriptions were given by eye-witnesses at Pokémon thefts and the infamous artefact robbery several weeks ago that Soro had seen on TV, though what exactly was stolen wasn't specified. _'The things people will do...'_

She shook her head, making a mental note to be extra careful concerning travelling—she didn't want to be the next victim, after all. Following Riaz's lead, she dashed upstairs and headed straight to the room Riaz had left empty; number twenty-four.

* * *

"—_WANTED--_

_Any information on two unknown suspects in connection with the theft of numerous Pokémon and several artefacts stolen from the Shirei Museum 5 weeks ago.__Eye-witnesses describe the men as tall—at least 5 foot 11 inches; (5'11") one with slick, dark brown hair and the other with shoulder-length blonde hair. (photos unavailable) Trainers and Travellers are recommended to use extreme caution when travelling long-distances on foot and are recommended travelling in groups.  
DO NOT approach these people; inform local authorities as soon as possible."_

_- Bulletin Message – Posted throughout Pokémon Centres in Shirei_

_

* * *

_**A/N:** ...and that is Chapter 3! Hope you all enjoyed it.

I unfortunately didn't get any work done on either this nor Cycles' End last weekend, and similarly I won't this weekend, being my sister's birthday today (22nd May) and we'll be going out both days. With that though, I'll do my best to at least get more Chapters done for June updates.

Until next time!  
YukitheRedFox, headin' out~!


	4. Chapter 4: The First Challenge

**A/N:** Woooooow... I've been out of working on this for a while... but for good reason; Uni was stressing me out, summer was equally as stressful, and a family emergency all came as if they were competing for first place in a race. (Uni won, if they were)

Anyway, I decided that now I had a lot of free time, I'd get Chapter 4 for Tales finished, since it was pretty much finished, anyway. Its a little shorter than previous Chapters, but that was mainly because there is a certain part of it I really didn't want to drag on too long.

Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 4: The First Challenge**

Soro awoke the next morning to her three Pokémon sleeping atop the quilt, though Amphy was resting a small distance from her Mudkip and Eevee—likely due to the fleece it wore, giving off jolts of electricity. She had found that out when the two first met, just before she caught Amphy. She smiled at the small scene before deciding it was time to get up and get dressed. She carried a change of clothes with her, though they were the same style as those she had worn yesterday; it was something her mother and Riaz's mused over in the build-up to their journeys, though she had no idea why.

She shrugged the thought off and just dressed herself; noticing her Pokémon stir as she did so, finally picking up her Trainers' Belt and strapping it around her waist before recalling all of her Pokémon to their Poké balls; all except Eevee, however. Having had her out of her Poké ball since the Professor had advised her to capture the small brown Pokémon, she felt a little uncomfortable storing her in it, even though she was travelling. It was safer for Eevee to be in the Poké ball, but Soro hadn't planned anything bad to happen to her precious friend, anyway.

It wasn't long before Riaz knocked on the door to her room, eagerly awaiting her so that they could continue on their journey to the next town over; if they travelled the whole time, even with the odd distractions like wild Pokémon or enjoying the sights they may come across, they should at least get to Shorevale City by dusk.

Picking up the rest of her things, Soro walked over to the door and opened it to see the happy-go-lucky face of Riaz staring back at her. It seemed Riaz would be travelling with Psych Lee out of his Poké ball this time as he snapped her out of her thoughts; "So, are we ready to go, Soro? Shorevale City awaits; as does my first Gym battle!" He seemed very eager to continue on their journey, and so was she; her mind wasn't quite made up with what she wanted to do with her journey, but she still had plenty of time to make up her mind.

She nodded to his question before Riaz started leading the way out of the Pokémon Centre; the man at the counter said a friendly farewell as they waved back, leaving the building. It was another beautiful morning in the Shirei region; something Soro hadn't noticed through the window in her room as she dressed.  
"Do you plan on taking the Pokémon League Challenge too, Soro?" asked Riaz, who stood just a few steps in front of her.

After a moment of thinking, she turned to her good friend with an answer; "I guess I will and see how it fits me. I hadn't thought much on the journey beyond becoming a Trainer and making more good friends along the way like you," she paused for a moment, and looked over to her Eevee who was resting on her shoulder.  
"Of course, friends like you as well," she concluded with a smile; there were plenty more Pokémon in the world for her to meet and for those she would capture, she hoped that they would be as willing to become the Pokémon of a Trainer and be as friendly as Amphy and Riaz's Oddish had.

* * *

It was a while before they saw anything along the road; Riaz had passed comment on there being many Pidgey in the area, but the one Pokémon that had caught the attention of the two Trainers was the appearance of a flock of Swablu. They slowly walked along the path, watching as the cotton-winged Pokémon flew by overhead in the barely cloudy sky.

As before, the road had mainly remained clear of travelling Trainers, other than the two people they saw in the tall grass. They had both figured they were out to catch Bug-type Pokémon, as one of them; a young boy with a straw hat and a bug-catching net had chased a Venonat across the road several yards ahead of them. It reminded Soro of the Oddish she had chased, the day before; though her attempt was unsuccessful, it opened the door for Riaz to take a chance at capturing the small weed Pokémon, and her capture of Amphy.

The journey had remained uneventful for an hour more, until the travelling friends came across a pair of Trainers who seemed to be new to the journey, themselves.  
"Hey there!" shouted one of the Trainers, who only seemed to be a few months older than them, at best. The one that had called out to Riaz and Soro was a young boy wearing khaki shorts with a white t-shirt and a dark blue baseball cap turned backwards. "How would you guys like a battle with me and my friend?" questioned the young Trainer, directing their attention to the other young boy who stood a few feet behind him. This Trainer, however, wore black track suit bottoms with a yellow t-shirt, with a bag strewn over his left shoulder.

Riaz smiled at this opportunity; not only would he get a battle in before trying to take on the next Gym Leader, he would finally be able to see how well his Pokémon faired in battle. Other than the battle he had gotten into against the Oddish, his team of three Pokémon lacked any form of in-battle experience.  
"So, will it be three versus three?" he asked, as he pulled out the Poké ball containing his Oddish, Bella. Though the response he got from the two Trainers was a great surprise to him. The boy with the baseball cap shook his head.  
"How about we make it interesting? A Double battle with one Pokémon per Trainer," he said, pulling out one of his Poké balls that no doubt contained one of his Pokemon.

Riaz was taken back a little by the response; he had momentarily forgotten about the ability of Trainers participating in Double battles and it was something he had only seen a few times in the past, and all were on TV, broadcast as part of the Hoenn Pokemon League at the amazing Evergrande stadium. He had not expected to be challenged to such a battle until much later in his journey.

Soro on the other hand did not seem too shaken by the challenge; there was a very slight sense of confidence emanating from her as she stood ready, a Poké ball in hand.  
"Ready Riaz? Let's see how we fare as a team," she said, awaiting him to prepare for battle. He took a moment to gather his scattered thoughts and nodded, motioning for Psych Lee to prepare for battle. With a deep breath, he looked back towards the two Trainers across from them; "Ready when you are," he responded and not a moment later, the pair threw out their Poké balls, almost at the same time as Soro had.

Her choice of Pokémon was her Mudkip, which made a determined cry as it appeared from the bright light released by the ball. Their opponents had an advantage, however; the boy with the dark blue baseball cap had sent out a rather fierce-looking Luxio, while the other boy had sent out a timid-looking Meowth. The boy with the Luxio seemed to waste little time, jumping into the battle at full-pace; "Okay! Let's get this battle started! Luxio, use Thunderbolt on that Mudkip!" he ordered, as the Luxio charged and fired bolts of electricity towards Soro's Mudkip.

She could not help but feel a little nervous when she heard the bolts of electricity surging towards her Mudkip, but she managed to keep herself together; she could feel adrenaline pumping through her body as she called out her orders to her Pokémon, ordering Mudkip to dive out of the path of the electricity.  
"Now, use MudSlap!" she called out to her Pokémon. Without hesitation, her Mudkip rushed towards the Luxio with a defiantly strong will.

"N-not so fast! Meowth, use your Scratch attack to disrupt that Mudkip!" The timid little Meowth seemed lost on the battlefield, but nonetheless rushed toward the Mudkip with its claws extended.  
"Hah! Forget about me? Psych Lee, Force Palm!" shouted Riaz; his momentary daze from the sudden challenge seeming to have subsided. Psych Lee rushed in ahead of Soro's Mudkip as it prepared to unleash a Force Palm right at the Meowth. Seeing this, the Meowth's Trainer panicked, but managed to call out to his Pokémon an order; "Meowth, quickly! Use Double Team!"

Almost as quickly as the boy had ordered his Pokémon to take action, multiple copies of the Meowth spread out like a swarm of Beedrill before Soro's Mudkip and Psych Lee, forcing the Pokémon to stop in their tracks; it was impossible to determine which was the real Meowth. This was the moment the other Trainer had been waiting for; with the confusion, he ordered his Luxio to charge at Soro's Mudkip, but Soro was just a tad late in seeing the charge, with the mass of Meowth copies dominating the battlefield before their Pokémon. Her Mudkip took the full force of the attack, sending it flying back towards her.

"Ahh... Mudkip, are you okay?" she called to her Pokémon in a panicked state. He seemed surprisingly well though, despite taking a direct super effective hit from the Luxio's Spark. Mudkip was obviously injured, but he was extremely adamant about continuing the battle, despite the disadvantage. It was almost like a 'David and Goliath' scenario as Soro pondered for a moment her next course of action.

She had only just then noticed a slight smirk on Riaz's face; he seemed rather unfazed by the use of Double Team by their opponent's Meowth.

"So glad Meditite learns this move... Psych Lee, Foresight!" ordered Riaz, the smirk that had formed on his face becoming more noticeable as his Meditite's eyes started to glow red. Almost as quickly as they had appeared, the Meowth copies had vanished, leaving the Meowth startled and off-guard; the perfect time to counter-attack, now that the two Trainers were trying to calm their end of the battlefield down.

"Let's go, Riaz!" called Soro, Riaz nodding in agreement before they both shouted their orders of attack. Psych Lee rushed forward towards the Meowth, while the injured Mudkip rushed towards the Luxio, both with determined expressions. The two Trainers tried to counter the moves that both Pokémon were preparing to attack with, but Psych Lee jumped into the air, landing the Force Palm directly to the back of the Meowth's head and forcing it face-first to the ground, while the Luxio tried to clamp its jaws around Mudkip, but at the last second, Mudkip sidestepped and launched a close-range Mud Shot to the side of the Luxio. Both Pokémon had fallen to the ground, the Luxio barely able to go on with the battle, while the Meowth had well and truly fainted from the direct blow dealt to it by Psych Lee.

Both Trainers recalled their Pokémon from the field, knowing full well that they had been bested.  
"That's some Mudkip you have there," said the Trainer of the Luxio; "It just wouldn't go down at all... and your Meditite was something, too," he concluded, turning to Riaz. He rubbed the back of his head, feeling a little awkward from the compliment he had just been given. He was always the same when someone complimented him, and Soro had always chuckled at the occasion.  
"Th-thanks. Your Luxio sure was a handful, as well," he said, as he looked over to the boy who had used the Meowth; "Your Meowth is pretty good, too. With a little more training, I've no doubt he'll be able to take on Pokémon that have the type advantage over him."

The boy reluctantly looked up to Riaz and gave him a faint smile; he had not said anything at the time, but it was obvious that with the smile, he felt at least a little more confident with battling. They had spent a little longer with the pair; treating the injuries their Pokémon had sustained before going their separate ways. It seemed the two boys were on route to Cherrygrove Town, but Riaz and Soro never asked why, assuming they were travelling to meet with the Professor for some reason. Being a researcher of evolution and the main authority of Pokémon research in the Region, it was very common for people to travel all the way to Cherrygrove just to see him; he very rarely left the town, unlike Professor Rowan of Sinnoh, who often visited him.

The pair had a few moments to rest and play with their Pokémon, before deciding it was high time they set off towards Shorevale City again. They had already travelled much of the rest of the route, and Riaz was fairly confident they would arrive there in the next few hours, waving his PokéGPS around to show Soro that they were only a few miles from their destination. Soro could tell that he was very eager to take his first steps into a new place on his very own journey, and in a way, Soro felt very much the same. The excitement of travelling without parental supervision was what made becoming a Pokémon Trainer so very appealing to many people their age.

By the time they arrived at Shorevale, however, the sun had already begun to set once again, marking the end of yet another day to their journey. The route had moved closer to the ocean as they got closer to the city and the lengthy beach that stretched across its northern face was almost literally a stone's throw away from where they now stood, which was further evidenced with the small waves of sand creeping across the path they were on. The sea air was extremely refreshing to them, and it was something Soro had not experienced for a couple years now, despite not living far from Shorevale. Riaz took a deep breath.  
"Wow, time sure does fly by when you're on a Pokémon journey, huh?" It was a statement Soro could only agree with; the fact that this would be their second night away from home, and they had only just reached the city was surprising to her, to say the least.

There were few people walking Shorevale's usually busy streets; the only people that seemed to be around were those who were returning to their holiday homes after having spent their day at the beach, or the odd few Trainers who were still training their Pokémon. A young man and his Jolteon were jogging across the beach, while not far from their path, someone was sparring with their Hitmonchan, throwing punches for the Pokémon to block and occasionally changing; the Trainer giving the Fighting-type Pokémon targets to aim for.

"Hey Soro, let's go take a look at the Gym."  
Though he knew it would be impossible to challenge the Gym right now, Riaz still wanted to head there so he could find out exactly when it would be open in the morning. It was on the way to the Pokémon Centre, as Riaz had indicated to her by holding up his PokéGPS to show her where it was, so she nodded and followed him as he skipped down the road, slightly ahead of her.

It only took a few minutes for them to arrive at the building, and from the external appearance, it certainly did not look like anyone was home. It was a stadium-sized building, which was to be expected of a Pokémon Gym since they also hosted Pokémon Contests, when events required; this came with the requirement of an automated replaceable floor, since each Gym's battlefield came with a themed environment, which was said to make the Pokémon of the Gyms feel more 'at home' and giving them a 'home field advantage'.

But the Gym they were looking at was completely closed, with no lights on at all. They approached the main entrance of the building and noticed a note that had been left on the doors to the building. Riaz pulled out his PokéGPS to use the light emitted by the screen to see the notice, since it was rather dim around the building, and after a moment, all he could say was an almost horrified, "What!"

"What is it, Riaz?" questioned Soro; she had stood a few paces behind him and could not see the notice, but as she approached she could tell whatever it was, it certainly wasn't good news.

"Closed until further notice?"

* * *

"_—__Important: Gym Closed Until Further Notice—  
Due to damage caused by a violation of Shirei's Pokémon League Gym Challenge regulations, Shorevale City Gym will be closed for repairs and structural examination for an unknown length of time, and will re-open once repairs are completed.  
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause Trainers who are participating in the Gym Challenge."  
_

_- Notice posted outside Shorevale City Gym_

_

* * *

_

**A/N:** Oh no! What'll he do now? Guess you'll have to wait and find out... heheh...

Chapter 4's 'quote', like Chapter 3's was the notice in the 'Centre, is the notice that was posted outside the Gym and basically gives you a vague scope of the regulations, and what it is that was banned from use in Gym Challenges. Wanna take a guess? Leave your answers in your review!

Special thanks go out to **define-originality**, the first person to review any of the Chapters to Pokemon Tales! It makes me happy knowing someone's reading this story, on here.

I'll try to keep regular updates flowing for this and Cycles' End for a while, though I can't promise for Cycles' End, since I'm a little stuck with it, for now... but we'll see.

Until next time!  
YukitheRedFox, headin' out~!


	5. Chapter 5: A Day in Shorevale

**Chapter 5: A Day in Shorevale**

The previous night had been a big disappointment for Riaz, who had hoped to start his journey off with a boom in Shorevale City's Gym, but the notice he had seen on the door had almost certified that would not be the case. After leaving the Gym, the pair had gone to the middle of the city, where the Pokémon Centre was located to turn in for the night, so that they could wake up in the morning and get right onto what they should do next.

Soro suggested they spend a little time in Shorevale and enjoy the rare chance they had been presented, and though still seeming a little down about the Gym being closed, he eventually agreed. It was still quite early in the morning, but Soro was already prepared to go out and enjoy the day; there were a number of places she wanted to go that she could vaguely remember when she was there with her family a few years ago.

To her surprise, it was not long before Riaz had awoken and prepared himself for the day ahead; he had left his things in the room that they had rented from the Pokémon Centre, since they had rented them for a few days for a small fee that was much cheaper than renting a single room from the nearby hotels. Needless to say, they were lucky that there were still some rooms left at the Centre, though it was likely because the Gym was closed that there were few Trainers travelling there, for now.

"So, where are we heading first, Soro?" He gave her a light smile that made her feel a little warm inside; it looked like he had gotten over the initial shock about the Gym and was ready to enjoy the time they had to just kick back and enjoy the day.  
"I thought we could go and see the Radio Tower, first; I remember going there once when it was still setting up," she said eagerly; it was a time before she had found her Eevee. Though radio was not a new thing in Shirei, the building of the radio tower was a building of unity. The headquarters of the different radio shows were spread throughout the Region, but the owners of each soon came up with an idea that brought about the construction of the tower.

"All right, then. Let's go!" 

* * *

The pair arrived at the radio tower a few moments later, and could only look up in awe at the size of it; it was certainly much bigger than when Soro had seen it. Tours of the building ran each day and to their luck, there would soon be one for them to attend, which would take them through the building to see the key elements that made it such a roaring success after a short time of being put into use.

"Okay! Those of you who are here to go on a tour of the radio tower, please follow me," called out the voice of a young woman to the crowd that had gathered outside. Soro grabbed Riaz's arm and dragged him along—with her Eevee and Psych Lee following closely behind, regardless of if her childhood friend wished to protest or not; she was eager to visit and explore the building she had seen under construction the last time she was here, even if she would likely be restricted to following the tour guide.

As they entered the building, it was obvious that security was their primary focus; guards were pretty much stationed all around to ensure that the tower remained safe. It was possible that such security measures were in response to the take-over of the Johto's Goldenrod City Radio Tower by a group who called themselves Team Rocket about ten years previous, but since that event, no other event similar had taken place.

The tour guide showed them through a number of areas and floors of the building, from the transmission spire at the very top of the building, to the individual booths where each station ran their shows. It was a very lively experience, seeing the energy that each group put into their shows; it was obvious that the people who worked there were very passionate about their jobs.

The end of their tour took them to a room that looked much like a waiting room, where they met the founder of the radio tower project; "Finally, we shall end the tour by meeting the founder of the radio tower himself; Mister—"  
"Please, just call me Alto; I never did like formalities," he chuckled, as he brushed back a strand of his navy hair. He was very well dressed, but acted much more casual than his formal appearance would have suggested.

"I thank you all for visiting the Shorevale City Radio Tower, today. I hope that you have all had a wonderful time visiting the establishment that in my vision is a symbol of unity for this Region."

The group spent a short while talking with Alto, before the time that he had for the tour was up. He left them all with a smile, before rushing off to the other engagements he likely had in his schedule. After a short while, the tour guide led them out of the building, and bowed before thanking them for coming, before disbanding the group.

"It's really come along from the last time I saw it," said Soro as she took one look at the large building again. "Such a lively and exciting atmosphere comes from those that work there... no wonder mister Alto calls it a symbol of unity," said Soro, as the crowd around them began to disperse. After a moment, the pair also began to leave, and wondered where their next destination should be.

It was still rather early in the afternoon by the time they had left, but neither Riaz nor Soro had any idea what they wanted to do with the remainder of the day. Along the road, they had stopped off at a food stand to purchase something to eat for both themselves and their Pokémon, and as they began to walk back into the city, Riaz looked across at the sparkling ocean. They would soon be on the path that they had entered the city from, and suddenly, an idea popped into his head.

"Hey, Soro! Why don't we go to the beach? We could let our Pokémon enjoy the sun for a while!"  
Soro thought for a moment, but her attention was caught by her trusted Pokémon companion; the Eevee certainly looked eager at the thought of relaxing on the beach for a while, and it would give them some time to consider their next move, should the Gym remain closed on them for a longer period of time than any Trainer would wish.  
"You know what? Let's do that! We may have only recently started our journey, but a little rest and relaxation is good on the long road of a Trainer, right?" 

* * *

The sun beamed down on the golden sands of the beach, as a gentle breeze whisked across the dunes; most of the beach was surprisingly quiet when compared to most times, as Soro had heard that Shorevale's beach was often littered with people and Pokémon. Even Trainers used the beach to battle on occasion, but only a handful of people crossed their paths as they travelled along the beach; most were just Trainers out for a stroll with their Pokémon, while others were exercising.

Eventually, the two new Trainers picked out a place they could relax for a while, and each reached for their occupied Poké balls, letting them out on the even sands of the beach. Soro's Mudkip almost immediately bolted for the ocean, with her Eevee following closely behind, while Amphy merely stretched, before just laying on the warm sand next to her bag.

Riaz's Oddish and Charmander seemed to be getting along well, as they sat and played in the sand, while Riaz and Psych Lee did what they always did when they had the chance; do a little practice. From what she had heard, he had been trying to help Psych Lee learn a Psychic-based attack, but he had never managed to reach such a feat. Psychic Pokémon were difficult to handle by those who were not trained to do so, but Riaz was determined, and the strong bond between him and his Meditite really showed.

As she sat with Amphy, watching Eevee and Mudkip play on the water's edge, she began to wonder about the kinds of Pokémon and people she would meet; so far, she had met wonderful people, but from watching the TV at home, she knew not all of them were so kind. The notice in the Pokémon Centre was just as much evidence to that fact, with some even going as far as to steal Pokémon from their Trainers.

'_Who could do such an evil thing?'_ she thought to herself, making sure to keep an eye on her two friends paddling around in the water; her Mudkip was squirting water into the air, as her Eevee splashed around in retaliation—though the two had only recently met, they were practically the best of friends. Only Amphy did not join them, though for a very good reason; water and Electric-type Pokémon like her didn't mix very well. After all, just touching her when she was rummaging through her bag had given her quite a shock.

She was content, however; her Mudkip and a very soggy Eevee came back up the beach occasionally to keep Amphy company, while Riaz's Charmander and Oddish were just as social. He had certainly called a good option of going to the beach, as their Pokémon had gotten their first real chance to mingle with each other; their new travelling companions.

It was then that Soro noticed a lone figure sat a few yards away from them, staring vacantly into the water. The young boy just sat there, and as she observed him, she noted that he did not have a bag with him—nor did he seem to hold any Poké balls, further making the sight of the boy strange, even if it was no uncommon for some to not hold Pokémon of their own.

She stood up from where she sat on the beach, and curiously started to walk towards the lone figure, who did not move an inch as she approached.  
"Hi there," she happily said with a strong smile, hoping to spark a response from him, but none came. He merely turned his head to look at her with his sea green-coloured eyes, before returning his attention back to the ocean.

She faltered, feeling a little like he had just given her a cold shoulder, but she persevered in her attempts at communication, sitting next to him before continuing her attempts.

"Do you live here, in Shorevale City?" Nothing.  
"Are you a Trainer? Do you have any Pokémon?" Again, nothing.

Despite her attempts at communication, nothing seemed to stir the boy into saying a word. There was just one thing she could think of to say; "Are you lost, or something?" He lowered his head a little, as if in response to her question. _'I see...'_ she thought to herself, as she looked a little closer at him.  
"Would you like some help looking for someone you know?"

There was a moment of silence where nothing happened; there was no reaction from the boy after his solemn expression, but just a few moments later, he raised his head, as if he had been alerted to something, and immediately sprung to his feet, showing an angered expression towards a figure who seemed to have just appeared out of nowhere.

As the man drew closer to them, Soro could see that he was dressed in rather smart clothing, with a silver symbol in the shape of an 'O' with an odd symbol in the middle of it that seemed to be sewn on. The feature that caught her attention however, was the hair; it was roughly shoulder-length and blonde from what she could see, underneath the cap that he wore, which once he came close enough, he took off.

"Hey, Soro! What's going on, over here?" said Riaz, as he approached her and the still angered boy with their Pokémon following; he held both his own and her bag, which seemed a little tough, considering the supplies they both still had, but he soon turned his own attention to the man before them, who stood about twelve feet away from them.

"Ahh, thank goodness you're safe! Have you been taking care of him? Thanks for that," said the man; "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to be alone with him for a moment."

There was something in what the man said that made Soro feel uneasy; the way the boy had reacted to his approach before she had even seen him, and the way he stood before the three of them felt more intimidating than welcoming. Without thinking, she uttered a comment towards him; "You're lying..."

"Huh? Do you really know what you're saying there, little girl?" gestured the blonde-haired man; "I've thanked you for finding my... son here, so if you don't mind, I'd like to be left alone with him."

It was there again; there was something in what he said that made her feel like she could not trust this man, and it was obvious that the boy did not trust him, either. Before she could react, Riaz had already placed his arm before her, trying to usher her back. It was obvious he could feel a conflict brewing, just like herself, but his actions were bordering on heroic; it felt like he was ushering her back not to assist, but to protect. It was a flattering feeling, to be sure.

"O-ho! Want to play hero, pretty boy? I'd sit down, before you get hurt!" said the man as he reached for a Poké ball and held it out before them, ready to strike.  
"An easy job, he said... all I'd have to do is pick up the 'kid', he said... kids these days..." The man threw the Poké ball before him, but before it could activate, an eerie dark wave flashed across the short distance between them, launching the ball several yards behind the blonde man.

"Tsk... stupid Pokémon... just give up, already," he yelled, getting a little aggravated at the act of defiance by the... boy? Soro looked to her side, realising that the boy she had been trying to talk to was no longer there! In his place stood a small fox-like Pokémon with black fur; its feet were tipped in red, as was a small tuft of fur atop its head. It was a strange thing for Soro to see, and as she looked around them, she could see no one else—wherever the young boy had gone, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh... you didn't know?" uttered the man, as he reached for another Poké ball to engage the strange Pokémon, but a crackling sound halted his advance.  
"-Have you secured the black fox, yet?-"  
The blonde man sighed, lifting a radio device out of his pocket; "No, it's engaged me," he muttered into the device, before the voice on the other end of the device responded.  
"-Then disengage; the boss doesn't want any harm to come to it... we'll think of something else."

A heavy sigh left his mouth, as he put the Poké ball he held away. "Lucky is all you are... perhaps we'll meet again, where I can settle the score," he muttered, before replacing his cap and turning to leave, sprinting away after reclaiming the Poké ball that the strange Pokémon had attacked.

The Pokémon seemed to be extremely friendly towards Soro after the event, rubbing up against her legs as if with gratitude, though all Soro was left with was a feeling of confusion; the events had gone by so confusingly, that she had no idea what just happened. "You okay, Soro?" asked Riaz, snapping her out of the confused trance she was in, turning to him and nodding to answer his question.

She looked at the odd black fox Pokémon for a moment, and then turned to Riaz; "Have you seen a Pokémon like that before, Riaz?" she asked him, and all he could do was shrug and shake his head.  
"Nope. All the Pokémon I've ever heard of don't fit with this one."

"Hmm... then maybe we should head over to the Pokémon Centre and contact the Professor and the authorities," said Soro, as she collected her bag from Riaz and recalled her Mudkip and Amphy.  
"Good ide—wait, the authorities? Why?" responded Riaz, a little confused, though as he thought about it, they were essentially almost assaulted by some random guy.

"I get the feeling he's one of the men that they're looking for. Didn't you read the wanted poster in the Centre?"  
"Uhh... yeah, of course! Let's head back, then," said Riaz, he too recalled his Pokémon. Soro knelt down by the black fox Pokémon, gesturing to pick it up, which it surprisingly allowed her to do, it seeming very content with her, giving her the sense that it may not be a wild Pokémon. 

* * *

The pair had contacted the authorities first, giving statements on what they had witnessed on the beach. Soro also described the odd emblem-like, circular object pinned to the clothes of the man they had encountered, which the police officer that had turned up to take their statement found the most interesting about their tale. However, one small detail had been left out of their story; the fact that the black Pokémon they were with was the man's objective.

Once their statements had been taken, Soro rushed over to the video phones that resided at the back of the Pokémon Centre and called the Professor, who took a short while to answer.  
"Ahh! Riaz and Soro! How is your adventure going?" he said, as he straightened himself up.  
"Okay, Professor, but we've got a question to ask you first." Soro lifted the black Pokémon into view, and continued; "Have you ever seen a Pokémon like this before, Professor?"

He looked closer into the monitor, before tilting his head to one side, scratching the facial hair on his chin.  
"Well this is strange... I can honestly say I've never seen a Pokémon like that in Shirei... I might have to do some research into this one. I'll keep in touch about it, though."

The Professor pressed a button on the video phone, taking a still image of the Pokémon so that he could further investigate the strange black Pokémon, and then turned his attention back to the two.  
"Wait... 'in Shirei', Professor? So you mean you might have seen it elsewhere?" questioned Riaz, who shuffled into view of the camera.

"It's possible, Riaz; but it's been so long since I travelled, I'm honestly not sure. I'm going to contact a few colleagues about it, and get back to you when I have more information; I wasn't always a Pokémon Professor, you know!" He let out a chuckle, before continuing with the conversation.  
"So, how have you found travelling with your Pokémon?" he asked again, obviously curious about their experience, so far.

"It's been great! We even caught a Pokémon each before we reached Shorevale," exclaimed Riaz, who held up the Poké ball that his Oddish resided in.  
"Ahh, that's wonderful to hear! Remember, Pokémon are your friends, so be sure to get to know them as best you can; it's vital that your Pokémon can trust you—especially considering they were once wild."

"Thanks for the advice, Professor," they both said, before they started to draw the conversation to a close. They may not have done a great deal, but they had certainly had a rather eventful day, regardless. The black Pokémon stuck close to Soro as they walked back to the lobby of the Centre, returning to their rooms to rest for another day in their Pokémon journey.

Tomorrow, they would head over to the Pokémon Gym, to see if repairs were still ongoing.

* * *

"_Shorevale City Radio Tower  
_

* * *

_The Shirei Region's symbol of Unity_

_Giving you the best quality music and radio shows about Pokémon!_

_The building was erected by Mr. Alto Shura, the current head of the Shirei Radio Company, who has always wished to unite the Region with the power of radio.  
This building also stands in loving memory of Mr. Shura's father, who passed away part way through the project, and continues to influence Mr. Alto Shura even today."_

_- Plaque that rests on the statue outside the Shorevale Radio Tower_

* * *

**A/N:** Wow! Talk about a long time gone... I'm sorry for not updating this in a looooooooong time... but I hope it was worth the wait. I really want to say that this won't be a recurring thing (my vanishing all the time, that is!), but I'm afraid I can't promise that... I will try my best to get updates on my stories, though. Especially this one, because like my main project is, this is kind of my 'baby', in terms of my fan-fic writing.

Anyway, I hope people who read this enjoy the latest Chapter. I'll be looking forward to hearing from those who wish to leave their thoughts on the story, so far.

Another bit of news; I'm actually accepting OCs for this, somewhat. They won't be Gym Leaders and are more likely to be people that the duo see as they travel on their journey in Shirei, but I thought it would be a nice little thing to do, considering that the site I originally started this project for doesn't allow access to blogs for those who haven't donated to the site, and my 'subscription' ran out a long time ago.

But to those interested, this is the form you need to follow!

* * *

**Name** - _Self-explanatory; the name of your character! Surnames are optional_

**Gender****:** _ (Male) or (Female)_**  
Age****:** _The age that your character would be as of the first Chapter of Pokemon Tales_**  
Height****:** _feet and inches, if you can- and no extremely tall characters!_**  
Hair Colour****:**_ The colour of your characters' hair_**  
Hair Style****:**_ The style of your characters' hair_  
**Eye Colour****: **_The colour of your characters' eyes- please do not give them ridiculous eyes; just a simple colour will do!_

**Description****:**_  
A short description of what your character looks like, such as what they wear and their personality_  
**Winter Additions****:**_  
Any variations in clothing your character has when travelling in Winter or in cold climates. If they don't wear anything different from their normal clothes, just put N/A here_

**Pokémon****:** _**The basic stage of a Pokemon** you would like your character to have, its **gender** (if not a single-gender species), the Pokemon's **nickname** (optional) and whether **you would like it to evolve or not**, and **if a multiple stage Pokemon, how far**. **Eevee**,** Phione **and** Legendary Pokemon** **cannot** be used to fill this section in! (though if you really desperately want your character to have an Eevee, contact me via PM; I might make it one of the Pokemon your Trainer acquires through their own travels!)_**  
Starter Pokémon****:** _Same as the above section, only restricted to Starter Pokemon. Unova Starters **can** be used to fill in this section. If your character does not have a Starter Pokemon, put N/A in this section_

**Preference****:** _The kinds of Pokemon that your character prefers to use. You can also include Pokemon that your character dislikes. Specific Pokemon **cannot** be listed in this section! I'll be selecting additional Pokemon for your characters based on their preferences, so make sure you choose their preferences wisely!_

While not necessary, if you wish to add some back-story for your character, please do so in an additional section at the end of your OC's form._  
_

* * *

I hope to hear from those who read this story, and get a few OCs from people that I can implement into the story!

Until next time!  
YukitheRedFox, headin' out~!


	6. Chapter 6: Shaking up the Party

**A/N: **Sorry for all the false starts on the return to Pokemon Tales, everyone- or at least, whoever is still reading this. A lot has been going on the past few weeks, and my failed attempts at getting this Chapter out before February were all subjected to the delays of me having things I needed to go and do, as well as searching for a job (which many of the things I'd been doing were in relation to).

Hopefully this near-10 page Chapter was worth the wait, and people will enjoy it. I did have a quick look through the Chapter, but there may still be stuff I missed, or times where I repeat myself because of how long I spent away from the story; those instances won't be repeated in future Chapters, as I'll be trying to stick to a somewhat regular schedule of at least two Chapters a month, if time permits.

Anyway, without further ado, here is Chapter 6 for your reading pleasure. Hopefully... heh.

As always, best viewed in 3/4 or 1/2. For me, at least~

* * *

**Chapter 6: Shaking up the Party**

Soro was abruptly awoken by an excited knock on the door of her room the next day, leaving her a little groggy and slightly annoyed at her friend and travelling companion. She stumbled out of bed, disturbing her three Pokémon from their slumber as she did so, and reached for the door handle. She slowly pulled it open and poked her weary head around the corner, merely answering her oddly energetic friend with a simple "What?"

"It's the Gym, Soro! I was out for a bit of a walk when the receptionist of the Gym walked by! We're booked in and ready for our gym matches!" It was obvious that he was extremely animated about the whole gym thing; he seemed to be very lucky for not having to leave this one until later, as she had heard that the damage was done fairly recently—obviously being an integral building this time of the year, the company that governs the Pokémon League would have no doubt poured as much into getting the building returned to its full glory as they possibly could.

"That's wonderful... now if you don't mind—" she stopped a moment, trying to process what he had just said to her; he'd been so excited and she had been so extremely tired, that a small element of his statement had almost completely gone over her head.  
"Wait... **OUR** gym battles? You mean you registered me for one, too!"

"Yup! We've got about 2 hours before we need to head on over there, so you better get prepared," concluded Riaz, before he turned and skipped off down the hallway, humming the music that was played whenever the show that advertised the greatest upcoming Pokémon trainers was on; a lot of the footage that was shown in the programme seemed to come from gym battles, and so the music had a similarly important theme to it.

But recollection of the music was the least of Soro's worries; she had not spent any time considering what she would do as a trainer since arriving in Shorevale, mostly because of the incident that had occurred on the beach the previous day, but moreover to the fact she was content just travelling with her Pokémon. Riaz telling her that she had a gym battle soon was a shock to her system that made her almost panic with fear of the outcome.

After a few minutes panicking like a Rattata fleeing a looming Fearow, Soro took a deep breath, gathering her composure to head outside, having recalled Amphy and her Mudkip to their Poké balls, and was followed by Eevee and the strange black Pokémon that had appeared on the beach the previous day. The appearance of the peculiar Pokémon was what had bothered Soro for much of the night; her only managing to get just a few hours of sleep from trying to find out on her own what kind of Pokémon it actually was and how it had gotten there, along with the disappearance of the boy she had tried talking to.

But now, she had to focus on the more important problem at hand; the fact that she had abruptly been awoken from her somewhat quiet journey with her Pokémon with an unplanned Gym Challenge. She had no idea what type of Pokémon the Gym Leader used, but she had a feeling they were going to be tough, either way; a pure challenge for her inexperienced team of Pokémon, who had really only had two battles between the three of them; her Mudkip, who had managed to pull through against the odds in a Double Battle with Riaz, and her Eevee, who had fought Amphy to aid in her capture—her loss against the Oddish withstanding.

She managed to find a nearby clear area so that she could sit down with her Pokémon and prepare them as best she would, given that she still felt phenomenally nervous about the whole ordeal. Nevertheless, she chose to focus on training Amphy, whom had not been used in battle since her capture; actual combat practice for the woolly Pokémon would have to come later.

* * *

After an hour of Soro frantically training her Pokémon, with some degree of success, Riaz rounded the corner and called for her, saying that they would be best heading over to the Gym now so that they are there for when their matches were meant to take place; a comment that sent shivers down her spine at the thought of being so close to battling in a real gym battle. She could not understand how Riaz was so enthusiastic about the whole thing, though she had a feeling it was primarily because he had pretty much been preparing for this kind of thing since he met Psych Lee.

"Hmm... I'm not entirely sure I'm ready for this," muttered Soro half to herself, and partly to her Pokémon companions around her, to which an immediate response was given; they all seemed eager to do their best with the coming events, and though Amphy seemed a little nervous, she stood strong with them. Soro's Mudkip seemed to be the most enthusiastic about the upcoming events, standing taller than even the fiercest Pokémon that Soro had seen in the battles that were aired on regional television. It was a sight that made Soro chuckle a little, seeing such a small creature act so brave.

But despite this, she still felt a strong sense of nervousness that she could not quite shake off; even as they approached the Gym. If anything, her feelings of anxiety only magnified, though Riaz did his best to pat her on the back and reassure her that everything would be all right in the end. It was a small comfort, but given what he had done behind her back without consulting her first, it was of course, only very small.

As they approached the main doors, a young girl burst out with a huge grin on her face, holding a badge in her hands and accompanied closely by the small penguin Pokémon, Piplup. The girl seemed to be very excited as Soro watched them dart by; the girl's shoulder-length, light blue hair bounced around as she celebrated with her Pokémon, holding the two-and-a-half inch badge in her hands.

"We did it, Piplup! We got the Glaive Badge! Isn't this great!" said the ecstatic young Trainer; her Piplup jumping around gleefully calling out its name in celebration along with its trainer.

It was a heart-warming scene, and gave Soro a moment to think away from the predicament that she found herself in; it was the dawn of that trainers' gym challenge, leading with a successful start... though Soro still felt a little sceptical as to if it was the way she wished to take her journey. But answers would come in due time; what she needed to focus on now was the battle that would soon come. She had a short time to compose herself, as Riaz would be the first of them to take on the Gym Leader; perhaps she would be able to see what kind of a battler the Gym Leader was before she would be the one standing in the spotlight.

* * *

"Welcome to the Shorevale City Gym!" stated the receptionist with a gleeful tone. She paused a moment, recognising Riaz from when he must have arrived to register them for the Gym Challenge; "Ahh, Riaz and Soro, is it? Your gym battles are scheduled next; feel free to await your turn in the stands," said the woman, as she directed their attention to the double doors that led to the arena. Thanking the woman for her direction, Riaz stopped shy of sprinting for the doors, far too eager to challenge the Gym Leader for Soro's liking; it was nice to see him brimming with the confidence of a Machop, but Soro could not help but feel a little unsettled by his attitude. It was especially difficult for Soro, with the butterflies fluttering around inside her stomach.

A completely different atmosphere washed over them as they entered the arena; Riaz felt a little nervous for the first time on their presently short journey. The large arena was filled with stands all around the edge, with a full-length battle stage in the middle. Soro was paying a lot of attention to the battle that was going on as they entered; a Spearow flapped high above the rugged ground, while a sandy cloaked Wormadam shook gingerly before the Gym Leader. The building was incredibly loud with the cheers of people in the stands; it was surprising for Soro, since she had never expected so many people to be in attendance for the gym battles.

The Spearow rushed forward, ready to strike out at its opponent, but as soon as it came close, a huge column of swirling sand flew straight into the air, startling the flying-type Pokémon out of its charge, as it flapped furiously to avoid taking damage from the sandstorm that had been generated. But before the challenger could do anything, several blasts of rock flew out of the swirling sand; the Spearow their target. The bird had done well to avoid a couple of the boulders, but the rest found their mark, clipping the wings of the Spearow and causing it to slump to the ground. After a short moment of inspection, a loud whistle sounded and a red flag flashed into the air with authority.

"The challenger's Spearow is unable to battle! The Gym Leader has defeated all of the challenger's Pokémon! The winner is: Gym Leader Evan!" Soro froze in place; it was a sudden hit of reality that had made her stop dead in her tracks, going from seeing a trainer leave the Gym victorious over the Gym Leader to seeing a trainer falter at what would be the first hurdle for many; even those who lived in other areas of the region often travelled to Shorevale before they began their gym challenge.

Obviously feeling defeated, the trainer who had been battling as they had entered fell to their knees, but was shortly greeted by the hand of the Gym Leader he had been battling; though they were too far away to hear what the Leader had said to the boy, Soro had a feeling that it was a reassuring statement. They were not without compassion, but in a competitive environment as the Gyms, a Leader needed to be tough; both as a trainer and as a judge. Each Gym symbolised a hurdle for any trainer that was hoping to reach the Pokémon League tournament that would be held at the Grand Palace Stadium, at the heart of the region.

It was something that Riaz was very passionate about, and not a moment went by that he would find a way to work it into a conversation. Now it was his time to show that what he was doing was not merely talking, but showing that he had what it took to leap over his first hurdle and press onward in his journey.

After a few minutes that felt like an eternity, the referee called for Riaz to approach the battle field for his battle. It was a nerve-wracking feeling for Soro, since she knew all too well that after the battle with Riaz, she would be battling the Gym Leader as well. She could not get over how uncomfortable it made her fell, but she had enough to call out to Riaz as he walked forward; "Good luck!" He stopped and turned to look over his shoulder, giving her a thumbs up before giving her a reply; "Don't you worry! I'll be done before you know it!" His confidence was astounding—or he was just really good at hiding his own nervousness. She remained stood next to the stands as she watched Riaz and Psych Lee dash off to their first battle of the Gym Challenge; the black Pokémon from the beach and her Eevee taking initiative and jumping up onto the light brown-coloured seating.

* * *

As he reached the edge of the battle field, a roar of cheers and applause filled the dome—he knew that none of them really knew who he was and were just there to see the battles take place, but he revelled in the feeling it gave him. "Our next bout is set for three-on-three competition and is for the Shorevale City Gym Badge!" Stated the referee with authority; "Standard Gym rules apply; each combatant shall use three—and only three Pokémon, and only the Challenger has the ability to switch out their Pokémon at any time. Due to structural concerns, self-destructive moves have been prohibited by the League in the Gym Challenge." The referee turned to look at Riaz and continued; "Challenger, do you understand and adhere to the rules of the Gym Challenge?" With a firm nod, the referee prepared to set the match in motion, leaving Riaz a short moment to glance across at the man he would be fighting.

"So, are you ready for your first battle towards the Pokémon League, Riaz?" questioned the Gym Leader, almost as if it was meant as a taunt as well as the Leader ensuring that his opponent was truly ready for the coming battle. Riaz knew it would be a tough battle, but he was not backing down now; this would be just the first step on his way to the Pokémon League Tournament and though he had a little bit of nervousness within him, he held it back in what he felt an unsuccessful show of strength as he nodded to acknowledge the Leader.

Within an instant, Evan threw out his first Pokémon to start this contest off; "Sandshrew, now's the time!" he called, as a flash of light illuminated the ground just a few feet from where he stood. The form of a Sandshrew soon became noticeable as it leapt up out of its curled position and cried out, soon staring in the direction of Riaz and Psych Lee.

"Ready to go, Psych Lee?" asked Riaz as he looked down at the small Pokémon, who gleefully nodded and took to the stage, ready for battle.  
"Begin!" called out the referee as the first orders of the battle were called out through the rising atmosphere of the gym; Evan had ordered his Sandshrew to use Dig immediately, who swiftly complied by burrowing into the earthy arena floor, leaving Psych Lee alone above. Riaz smirked as he watched the ground, and as soon as he saw a disturbance, he called out for Psych Lee to utilise a move that Riaz knew all too well was invaluable in battle with an opponent that had an upper hand; Detect.

With a swift movement, Psych Lee had evaded the incoming Sandshrew as it leapt out of the ground, leaving it open to attack. "Hit it now with Force Palm!" shouted Riaz, and without delay, Psych Lee thrust his hand towards the Sandshrew and struck out at it with a direct hit, causing the mouse Pokémon to tumble across the field. After awkwardly sliding to a halt, the Sandshrew jumped back up almost instantly, seemingly more annoyed at the impact than hurt.

Psych Lee was obviously taken back by how resilient his opponent seemed to be, but Riaz tried to keep the flow going their way; if he was lucky, he could take down this Sandshrew without taking too much damage. But before a reaction could be given, the mouse Pokémon had rolled up and begun speeding towards Psych Lee. Riaz jumped up and shouted, "Psych Lee, hit it again with Force Palm to stop its roll!"

As the two Pokémon rushed towards each other, Evan gave a faint smirk that Riaz had just barely noticed, as the seemingly confident Gym Leader shouted, "Sandshrew, spin out and use Mud Slap!" Almost immediately, the Sandshrew stopped rolling, slid underneath the incoming attack of Psych Lee and managed to scoop up a Mud Slap attack square in the face of the little fighting-type Pokémon, sending him tumbling to the ground, desperately rubbing at his eyes.

"Now Sandshrew! Hit it with Fury Swipes!" As Evan ordered the attack, his Pokémon bared its claws as it landed from the corkscrew spin it had sent itself in from abandoning its Rollout and ran towards the Meditite, but as it approached, Riaz called out, "Psych Lee, use Detect again!" but unlike the first time, his Pokémon was unable to execute the move, and the sharp claws of their opponent hit their mark several times over.

"But why..." Riaz was stunned by the fact that his Meditite was unable to utilise the move, watching helplessly as his Pokémon took hit after hit. "Surprised?" started Evan, who Riaz could just hear through the crowd's cheering; "If you can't see, how can you predict the moves of your opponent? Keep up the pressure, Sandshrew!" It was a turn for the worst; the Mud Slap that Sandshrew had used to great effect had pretty much nullified the offensive capabilities of Psych Lee, and the longer this went on, the more likely it was that Psych Lee would fall.

"Duck and use Force Palm, Psych Lee!" shouted Riaz in desperation, hoping that his Pokémon may be able to angle the location of the Sandshrew from the flurry of blows he had just taken and with a quick movement, the Meditite just managed to avoid the swiping claws once again and landed a direct hit to the Pokémon's stomach, sending it hurtling head-over-heels a few feet into the air, and just as quickly, it came crashing down in a great heap, giving the fighting-type Pokémon a chance to regain his bearings.

After a moment of rubbing, Psych Lee seemed to regain sight of his surroundings, though Riaz could see that it was strained. He was hoping that the last blow he had done to the Pokémon was enough to at least put him in arm's reach of a victory, and one step closer to beating the Shorevale City Gym Leader, but based on how well the Sandshrew had taken the first blow, he would not be surprised should he still have a bit of work to do.

But as the dust settled, all that could be seen was a hole left by the mouse Pokémon; in the time it had taken the dust to settle around where it had crashed, the Pokémon had regained its composure and burrowed beneath the ground to strike out, once again from below. Though he could simply use Detect, he was unsure as to if it would work as well as it had before, given how it had failed him not long ago, and the still quite obviously limited visibility from the Mud Slap that he had taken. Thinking on his feet, Riaz ordered Psych Lee to focus, and when he called out, to land a Force Palm directly at the ground beneath him.

The ground began to shake gently as the Sandshrew continued to burrow in the earth below, and as soon as Riaz saw the earth begin to give way, he shouted as loud as he could, "Now!"  
In one swift movement, the Meditite slammed its hand towards the ground just as the Sandshrew flew up towards him, striking it directly in the face. It was not without collateral, however; the force from the Sandshrew's Dig had not been nullified by the Force Palm, and so, the two Pokémon tumbled across the battle field, ending in one small pile near the middle of the gym.

The referee looked on as he saw the pile shuffle about before him, to see a single Pokémon stand shakily on its small legs; somehow, Psych Lee had managed to just barely outlast the Sandshrew, who lay defeated behind him, as he stood breathing heavily from the ordeal he had been through. "The leader's Sandshrew is unable to battle! The challenger's Meditite is the winner!" shouted the referee as he lifted a green flag towards Riaz, who felt somewhat relieved to finally have the gutsy little Pokémon out of the way, as he watched the leader return the Sandshrew to its Pokéball. It was much harder than he had anticipated, but before he could regain his composure, the leader threw out another Pokéball.

This time, as the light faded, a small blue Pokémon with little red markings on its ears and nose stood defiantly before the heavily fatigued Meditite. _'A Phanpy...'_ thought Riaz to himself; _'There's no way Psych Lee can take it on in his condition, so I'll have to switch him out.'_

"Challenger, will you be continuing combat with your Meditite, or do you wish to withdraw and send out another Pokémon?" questioned the referee. "I'll switch," said Riaz, as Psych Lee returned to his side lethargically. It had been a difficult battle, and as his friend returned to him, he crouched down and praised his hard work; "You did great, Psych Lee, but I think you'll agree you could do with a rest." As if to agree with that statement, the Meditite slumped on the floor in a rather uncharacteristic manner; he reminded Riaz of how a Snorlax would just slump down anywhere it pleased and sleep, making him chuckle from the image he had generated in his mind of a giant, lazy Meditite.

But now was not the time for jokes; Riaz needed to ride the wave that Psych Lee had created and get his next Pokémon through the battle in better condition. He could only rely on Havoc as a last resort, considering the fact that fire-type Pokémon were weak to the ground-types that the Gym Leader used; though not evidenced yet, ground-types were also often part-rock, which was another weakness of fire-types. _'Though maybe now would be the best time... if Bella can't take out Phanpy and the next Pokémon he uses is part-rock... I'll be in trouble.'_

It was a difficult decision, but rather than thinking about it, he instinctively grabbed one of the Pokéballs attached to his belt and sent the Pokémon within into battle. Out jumped the spirited Oddish, who he had yet to actually use in battle—so both of his options were going to be a large gamble, in the end. Oddish came with the type advantage however, and considering how Riaz had also not used Havoc in battle yet, came as the better option overall.

"Care to do the honours, challenger?" said Evan, as he gestured to his little weed Pokémon, who seemed surprisingly eager to get started. He felt a little uneasy making the first move, but shook the feelings aside to get his first battle with Bella underway.  
"Bella! Use Leech Seed!" he ordered, as the little blue Pokémon launched several seeds towards the Phanpy, but simply landed on the ground harmlessly, as the light blue Pokémon evaded the incoming attack.

'_Darn it,'_ thought Riaz, as he watched the Phanpy land firmly away from the seeds. A swift order soon followed from the Gym Leader, as the little light blue Pokémon began charging up a roll towards the grass-type; the chance had presented itself. He shouted to Bella to use Leech Seed one more time, hoping that it would connect and disrupt the momentum of the Phanpy, but as the seeds hit the spinning Pokémon, the fast movement of the Rollout merely deflected them as though it were using Rapid Spin.

It was a direct hit that sent the little Oddish hurtling through the air and onto the ground just near the edge of the battle field. Concern started to creep into Riaz's thoughts as he looked on; he had been lucky against the Sandshrew, but were he unable to maintain his Oddish through at least this battle, the Rollout from Phanpy would no doubt make short work of his Charmander. He watched with concern as the little Oddish jumped back to her feet and shook off the dirt that had gathered along her fine, green leaves.

He quickly whipped out his Pokédex to check up on what his Oddish could do; the unfamiliarity with the Pokémon beginning to creep up on him, but when he looked back to the battle field, the Phanpy was rolling towards Bella once again. In a panic, he called out to his Pokémon; "Quick, fire off a Razor Leaf, Bella!"

The small grass-type complied, spinning her leaves around to fire off several razor-sharp blades of grass that spun through the air towards the Phanpy. Most of the blades shot past the rolling Pokémon, but a handful struck mostly as grazes, not affecting the advance of the determined Phanpy.

"Now's our chance... Phanpy, Take Down!" called out the leader to his Pokémon, who immediately uncoiled from the roll into a straight charge; just barely a few feet away from the Oddish, all she could do was strike out with more Razor Leaf attacks, until the two Pokémon collided in a mess of leaves and dust. As everything began to settle down, Bella had somehow ended up on the back of the slumped Phanpy, but from the impact of the attack, the blows from her attacks and the recoil, both Pokémon had been knocked unconscious. The referee held up both flags; "Both Pokémon are unable to battle! The Challenger has two Pokémon remaining, while the Gym Leader has only one!"

'_Yeah... but only one of them is in any condition to fight,'_ thought Riaz to himself, suddenly feeling very nervous about the kind of Pokémon he would be facing next. He did not want to, but he may have to rely on Psych Lee dealing enough damage for Havoc to come in and clean up after, which did not sit well with him. He was mentally kicking himself for panicking when the Phanpy had begun to attack again, which ultimately led to a hasty decision on his part, despite how lucky he had been.

He recalled the Oddish, praising her for the good job that she had done, and awaited as the leader sent out their final Pokémon. He threw out another Pokéball, which burst open in another flash of familiar light, to reveal a Pokémon that Riaz had completely forgotten about. He could not believe his luck of the draw, and immediately reached for his Pokéball, sending out the Pokémon he had been worried to use.

"We've got this, Havoc!" he called out in glee; "But be careful; it still has an advantage over us!" He was extremely confident now, but he did not want to get too ahead of himself.  
The fire-type roared and stretched, feeling relieved to finally be in combat; the only time he had used the Charmander was when he caught Bella, and it was high time his trusty Starter Pokémon got a taste for combat against another trainer. The sight of the orange lizard seemed to knock the leader back a little, obviously startled to see the fire-type join the battle.

"Nincada, Dig now!" he shouted, as the little bug-type Pokémon burrowed its way underground, but Riaz was not going to let up; he had a slight advantage in that Nincada would have to get close to deal damage; Havoc could safely sit at a distance and attack to great effect. "Havoc! Throw some embers down the hole!" called out Riaz, as the fire-type lizard began firing Ember attacks down the hole the Nincada had dug out.

After a short while, the bug leapt out of one of the holes that the Sandshrew had created before, several singe marks covering its small body. Even if they had not scored a direct hit, they had dealt enough damage to make the Pokémon exhausted and incapable of maintaining its position beneath the battle field.  
"Nincada, strike out with Mud Slap!" ordered the leader, seemingly a little agitated at the turn of events from the surprising double-knock out his Phanpy had caused with Bella, but Riaz still maintained the advantage; at a distance Havoc could easily evade, and as he called out his orders to his Pokémon, a wave of excitement washed over him.

The embers flew through the air like a swarm, while Havoc avoided the incoming splashes of Mud Slap, which landed harmlessly. "Nincada!, use Dig now!" called out the leader, but it was too late, as the wisps of fire washed over the little bug, causing it to harmlessly flop to the ground, unconscious. A green flag flashed into the air, just as it had when Psych Lee defeated the Sandshrew.  
"The Leader's Nincada is unable to continue! The winner of the battle is the Challenger, Riaz!"

* * *

Soro jumped up from her seat and applauded as the final moments in the battle concluded, and the referee lifted the flag to indicate the victory of Riaz—though she was not alone; many of the spectators began to applaud as well, and some that Soro had sat near had called it quite an exhilarating match. She felt great happiness for Riaz, having started off his Gym Challenge with a big win, but in just a few short moments, it would be her turn to battle the Leader... would she fare just as well, or would she falter, much like the trainer before Riaz had?

* * *

**A/N:** Ahh... it feels so much better getting something out there... and as I said, I'll be trying to get more out more frequently, meaning the next Chapter should be done and out either by the 19th, 20th or the end of the month. With a bit of luck, I'll be able to stick with this and get a lot more out there for people to read.

The next Chapter, as indicated by the conclusion of this Chapter, will jump straight into Soro's battle with the Gym Leader! So hopefully you stuck around for this Chapter and will stick around for the next!

Oh- no ending note for this Chapter because of how late it was, and the fact that I couldn't really think of one to use. I'll try to get one at some point, but if not, the Gym battles of future Chapters will contain no ending notes, unless they're needed. Or... unless they're a little history on the Gym Leaders...?

Until next time! (which will hopefully be soon...!)

-Yuki~


End file.
